Molder&#39;s sand treating and conveying apparatus



July 28, 1953 P. s. HARDY MOLDERS sans TREATING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 20, 1950 ZSnventor Jeler J 1%,? y W Mattorneys July 28, 1953 P. s. HARDY 2,646,602

MOLDERS SAND TREATING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS Filed May 20, 1950 3Sheets-Sheet '2 i any Zmventor Gttornegs July 28,- 1953 P. s; HARDYMOLDERS SAND TREATING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May20, 1950 wi U Zmventor (Itt ornegs Patented July 28, 1953 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE MOLDERS SAND TREATING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS Peter S.Hardy, Bridgeport, Conn.- Appl ication May 20, 1950, Serial No. 163,119

9 Claims. 1

This invention relates to foundry equipment and particularly to mold andsand handling equipment for foundry use, and is a continuation in partof my copending applications Serial No. 765,476, filed August 1, 1947,now abandoned, and Serial Number 49,230, filed September 14, 1948, nowPatent No. 2,577,891, issued December 11, 1951.

An object of the invention is to provide a foundry layout for handlingmolds and sand in a minimum of space and with the least amount of manuallabor possible.

The foregoing object is attained by arranging a hopper, a molders bench,a mold handling track and a sand treating and conveying machine in aparticular relationship to each other in order that the sand may make acomplete circuit with a minimum of handling.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method andapparatus for handling sand from molds which are to be broken up,whereby the sand is redivided into its separate granules or smallparticles and delivered and stored above the molders benches so as to bereadily available with a minimum of time and heavy labor being required.

Heretofore, particularly in small foundries with low roof trusses, itwas the practice to remove the mold parts from the castings and cutorbreak up the formed sand of the molds manually until all lumps wereremoved and the sand was again in condition for use. After the formedsand had been properly cut or granulated, it was carried back to themolders benches and shoveled into hoppers at the benches so as to beconvenient for the molder' to use. These operations required a great ofhard labor, not only in cutting or breaking up the lumps of sand butalso in transporting it, and as a result foundries required workershaving physical strength and stamina, to withstand the labor.

According to the present invention, the amount and severity of the laborinvolved in handling the sand after the casting operation and prior toits subsequent use is greatly reduced. In the overhead tracks to enableit to be shifted bewith the foundry operations, and comprises abucket-type conveyor wholly supported by and depending from the tracks,the lower end of the conveyor carrying a sand receptacle, vibratingscreen or riddle, and a crushing mechanism. At the upper end of theconveyor a sand discharge mechanism is provided, including a conveyorbelt having a relatively high linear speed whereby sandgranules andparticles which have been lifted by the bucket conveyor are forcefullythrown outwardly from the handling mechanism' into and against theoverhead hoppers at the molders benches, further refining thesubdivision of the sand particles and collecting the sand where" it willbe readily available without requiring a great deal of effort.

In accordance with the invention, sand is withdrawn from the hopper andformed as a mold on the molders bench, the mold is lifted to theadjacent horizontal mold track where it is easily displaced along thesame as subsequent molds are formed and placed. When a row of molds iscompleted, they can be poured rapidly one after the other While inposition on the mold tracks, the first formed then being near the remoteend of the mold track and adjacent the lower end of the sand. handlingmachine. Upon the completion of a casting operation, the mold isdeposited in the receptacle carried by the lower end of the bucketconveyor. Here the mold and castings are subjected to a verticallyvibrating action of a shake-out screen or riddle, whereby the mold isbroken up and the sand therefrom screened to separate the completedmetal casting therefrom. The sand is then subjected to a crushing devicewhereby it is further-cut or broken up and granulated, and generallyreduced to small particles which are readily cooled due to theseparating air passages formed therebetween. These particlesand granulesare then lifted slowly by the bucket conveyor and cooled at the sametime, and are then forcefully thrown into and against the inside of theoverhead hoppers by the highspeed conveyor, further break ing up anyremaining lumps or particles and fiufiin'g the now relatively cool sandinto a completely reconditioned state.

The entire crushing, granulating and conveying device carried by theoverhead tracks may be readily swung from operative .to transportposition to clear the mold tracks and shifted from one operating orcasting station to another so that it can take care of handling the sandfrom a plurality of molding stations and can deliver the sand to any oneof the overhead hoppers requiring a new supply. The mold shake-out andsand treating apparatus is entirely power driven, and thereforeeliminates to a great extent the heavy labor heretofore required infoundry operations, and considerably reduces the time required.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved elevatingconveyor structure mounted for swinging movement to transport positionon its support so as to clear mold tracks or other interferences nearthe floor which would otherwise prevent its movement from station tostation, in combination with a particular arrangement of sand handlingequipment so arranged at either end of the conveyor as to contribute tothe balance of the same for easy swinging movement.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a transportablesand conveying and treating machine including a mold shake-out riddle inwhich provision is made for mechanically operating the riddle by meanson the frame of the machine, but in which means is provided foreffecting the protection, to a large degree, of the machine frame andits supporting structure from degrading effects of the vibration of theriddle and weights supported thereon. The foregoing object is effectedby providing an auxiliary floor engaging foot which supports the riddlewhen the machine is in operating position, and transmits the mainvibration stress thereof to the floor of the building, but which isautomatically disabled and lifted into noninterfering relationship whenthe conveyor is moved to transport position.

Additional features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of the foundry equipment of this inventionincluding a hopper, a molders bench, a mold track, and a sand handlingand treating machine.

Fig. 2 is a plan on a smaller scale of the foundry layout showingseveral stations each including a hopper, molders bench and mold track,the sand handling and treating machine being shown at one of thestations, and the overhead rails and supporting portions of the machinebeing omitted for purposes of clarity.

Fig. 3 is an elevation to a larger scale showing the sand handling andtreating machine in operating position, transport position thereof beingindicated in broken lines. 1 v r Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevation,partially in section, of the riddle, lump-crushing mechanism and lowerportion of the conveyor means of the equipment, shown to a still largerscale.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken approximately on line 55 ofFig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary elevation to a large scale illustrating themeans for latching the ma.- chine in operating osition.

Fig. '7 is a perspective view on substantially the same scale as Fig. 4illustrating the floor supporting foot for the riddle in detail. 7,

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the foundry equipment of this inventioncomprises essentially a plurality of molders benches [0, a plurality ofoverhead hoppers il, one for each bench [0, a plurality of parallel moldtracks 15, preferably of the roller conveyor type as shown, one for eachbench to, extending from adjacent the bench H) on a gradual slopetowards a point remotefrom the bench. The free ends of the tracks 15 areadjacent passageway 20 providing access for pouring equipment to any oneof the tracks 15. A power driven travelling sand conveyor andlump-crushing device 12 is so organized as to receive sand and sandlumps from molds near the level of the conveyor l5 adjacent the outerend thereof, to break up the mold and cut and crush the sand lumps, andconvey the sand overhead in a sloping path and to deposit the sand inany one of the hoppers ll above its corresponding bench ill in positionfor use adjacent the first end of the conveyor l5.

With the foregoing arrangements, molders standing at the benches l0operate the closures 2| at the bottoms of the hoppers H to provide sandfor the making of molds on the benches. As each mold is completed themolder lifts it from the bench i0 onto the adjacent end of thecorresponding mold track I5. He repeats this process and places a'secondmold behind the first, urging the group along the track [5. The row ofmolds moves readily along the track l5 due to the roller surface and theslight slope thereof. As a row of molds is formed on each track #5,pouring means containing molten metal is brought up by way of thepassage 20 and a series of the molds are poured at whichever of thetracks 55 pouring is appropriate. After the castings have been allowedto cool somewhat, the sand conveying and treating device 12 is broughtto a position at one side of one of the tracks (5 and in line with thecorresponding hopper l i as illustrated in the third station from thetop in Fig. 2. A worker merely lifts th end mold of the series from theend of the track l5, swings it to the adjacent sand receiving portion ofthe machine I2 where the sand is removed and the casting may be lifted01f. Operation of the machine causes the sand to be treated and conveyedon an upward slope into the hopper H above the bench Hi, completing thecycle of sand travel.

By the foregoing arrangement, the greater portion of heavy laborheretofore required in handling sand molds, breaking up the molds andlumps, and in transporting the sand back to the molders benches iseliminated, relieving the foundry personnel of strenuous physical laborheretofore involved in foundry operations and also shortening the timeinvolved.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the sand treating and conveying devic 12 iscarried by a pair of parallel overhead rails 13 on which it issupported, and along which it may be moved so as to enable any one ofthe stations including a hopper H and mold track IE to be serviced bythe machine for transforming the sand of the molds 0n the track 15 intogranular condition for reuse and for transporting the same back into thehopper into useful position so as to be readily available to the molderat the corresponding bench in.

At the lower end of the machine 12 which extends towards th passageway20, a sand receptacle or riddle id is provided, carried by the machineand so positioned that a mold to be broken up may be easily swung fromthe track I5 thereto with little lifting or transportation.

Receptacle i4 is shown in detail in Fig. 4 and may be in the form of ashallow rectangular box having flat sides 22 and sloping bottom plates24 forming a transverse truncated pyramid, with a substantiallyrectangular discharge opening 26. Across the interior of the receptacleM a sturdy screen 28 is provided supported by a plu ra-lity of spacedparallel angle irons 28a secured to opposite bottom plates, one of saidbottom plates having an upturnedportion 30 functioning as a rear wallfor the receptacle I4 and the other bottom plate having a downturnedportion 32 in.

members 34 is an electric motor 42 which drives.

the shaft 36 through the belt 44. Eccentric portions 38 of the shaft 36,therefore, form a pivotal supporting means for one end of the riddle i4,and when the shaft 36 is rotated by motor 42 the eccentric portions 38also serve to vibrate the riddle vertically with a rapid motion in orderto shake apart a sand mold placed thereon, to remove the sand from thecasting, and reduce the same to lumps of a size which can be readilyhandled by the treating mechanism.

' Except for the eccentric portions 38 of the shaft 36, the riddle I4is'not directly mounted on the frame of the machine I2. All othersupport therefore is provided by a pair of resilient rubber mounts orshock absorbers 4%, one on each side of the riddle. The upper end of themount. $6 is pivotally connected to a projection 48 on the riddle, andthe lower end thereof has a piv otal connection 49 with a foot member 50which. is shown in detail in Fig. '7.

The foot member comprises two spaced arms 52, 54 lying in parallelplanes, one on either side of the machine I2. A boss 53 on each of thearms is pivotally connected to the outer end of one of the lower framepieces 34; the other ends are connected by a bar 58 having a central pad60 for engagement with the floor of the building. Intermediate the endsof thearms 52, 54 is. a cross bar 62 which overlies the frame pieces 34and by which the foot member 50 is raised when the machine i2 is movedto dotted line position in Fig. 3. When the machine is in the full lineposition of Fig. 3, however, the dimensions of foot 56 are such that thebar 62 is released from contact with the frame members 34. The lowerends of resilient rubber supports 46 areconnected by pivots 43, one toeach of the side bars 52, 54

between the boss 53 and the connection of: the

cross bar 62 thereto. Therefore, when the machine i2 is in a full lineposition of Fig. 3 orin theposition of Fig. 4, with the bar 62 liftedfrom the upper edge of frame members 34., a large share of theweight ofthe foot member 50, the riddle l4, and. the material carried thereby, isbornev by the floor 64 of the building through the foot member 50, andstresses dueto the vibration of the riddle will be transmitted to thefloor 64' through the members 45, 5B.

In accordance with the invention, below the hub 38 a strongsemicyclindricaltrough,1.4 iSg'IDIZOB- vided following in general the.path of travel of the ends of the plates I2 at the underside of the hub68, and connected with the upper edge of the trough I4 is a chute 'lfi,which extends between the frame members 34 and guides sand emerging fromthe discharge opening'26 to the breaker plates 12. The shaft I3 isdriven in clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 4 by a sprocket 18 (Fig.3) and chain receives power from a driving sprocket 82 secured to a tailspindle 84 at the lower end of the lifting conveyor. This liftingconveyor comprises a chain 86 having buckets. 88, the chain passinaround tail sprockets 93 on the tail spindle 84 and the buckets 88sweeping past through a trough-like extension 74a on. the trough 14. Thesprockets 90, it will be noted, are the equivalent of the tail pulley ofa belt conveyor, and hereinafter where the terms.

tail pulley and head pulley are used, it will be understood that. in thebroader sense they may refer to. pulleys, sprockets or the like servingthe same function. The chain 88 passes upwardly along and between themain frame uprights 92 and passes over head sprockets 94 on a head spinrdle 96 at the upper end of the conveyor. The

head spindle 96 carries a large sprocket 98 driven by a chain I33 froman electric motor I02 mounted on the upper edges of a pair of upperspaced frame members I34 which are mounted on the upper extremities ofthe main frame uprights 92.. The caring is such that the head sprockets94. and tail sprockts rotate at a speed consider.- ably less than thatof the motor I02.

A second or hopper-loading conveyor I36,

hich is of relatively high speed is. mounted at the upper or dischargeend of the lifting conveyor and is arranged to receive sand from thelatter and to carry and throw the sand with considerably velocity intoside openings I Ia in any one of the overhead hoppers II with which themachine. I2. is align-ed. By virtue of the high speed of the.

conveyor I06, any small lumpsv of sand which it may carry will be throwninto the hopper II and against the opposite wall thereof withconsiderable velocity, and will thereby be broken up, so that the sandcarried in the hopper II will be reduced to ultimate powder form readyfor use. The conveyor I156 comprises a pair of pulleys I98, I68 carryinga conveyor belt H3, one of the pulleys I68 being driven through adirect, high speed belt drive II: from the motor I322. The belt Ill! andpulleys I98. are arranged so that the belt slopes upward and extendsfrom the discharge p-oint of the lifting, conveyor toa point which maybe brought adjacent the opening IIa of any of the overhead hoppers II bytravelling the entire machine I 2 along the rails I3. Theliftingconveyor is enclosed at its. sides by plates I ltyand a hopper-loadingconveyor I06 is housed in any suitable manner by plates attached totheupper parallel frame members I 04 so as to confine the sand within theconveyor structure and prevent spilling the same on the foundry floor.

The main upright frame members 92 of the machine It are supported fromthe rails I3 by means of a carriage and tilting mechanism 4, formed ofangle irons or similar elements, and the carriage has. U-shaped bracketsH6 mount-- ing the wheels H8 which ride in the. rails, I3.

While only two sets of brackets H6 and corresponding wheels H8 are shownin the, drawing? for. simplicity of illustration, itwill be understoodthat there are at least four sets. twosets being. on each rail-I3; andthat all. of thefoun brackets IIS and the wheels H8 carried thereby aremounted on thezcarriage I I4, the latter being rectangular inconfiguration as viewed from above. The carriage II4 may be made in anydesired manner and as shown comprises bars formed of iron angles Ilocated back-to-back, each pair of angles constituting transversestructural members extending between the rails I3. The iron angles I20at their extremities are connected together by longitudinally extendingangles I22 which constitute the front and rear structural members of thecarriage.

A first plurality of angle bars I24 extends angularly downward from theleft-hand ends of the transverse members I20 of the carriage H4, and asecond plurality of angle bars I26 extends angularly downward and to theleft from the right-hand ends of the transverse members I20, the lowerextremities of the members I24 and I26 of each pair being connectedtogether by a pintle ,bar I28 which passes through brackets I30 securedto the upright frame members 92 of the machine I2 by which organizationa pivotal connection is provided between the depending structuralmembers I24, I25 (at the lower extremities thereof) and the machine I2intermediate the ends of the latter. This pivotal connection enables themachine I2 to be swung about the pivot I28 to a position (shown inbroken lines) wherein the lower end of the machine is raised asubstantial distance above the floor surface 64.

In accordance with the invention, novel, simplified locking andactuating mechanism is provided as a part of the supporting means II4,whereby the machine I2 may be quickly and securely located and rigidlyheld in the upwardly sloping operative position shown in solid lines inFig. 3, and whereby the machine may yet be easily and quickly releasedand shifted to elevate the lower end thereof to clear objects supportedon the floor. This means comprises a toggle joint I36 consisting of aplurality of iron angle bars I32 pivotally connected to the machineframe members 92 by means of brackets I34 and pivots, and furtherconsists of aplurality of iron angle bars I36 pivotally connected to theupper right-hand portions of the carriage at I38, the bars I32 and I36being pivotally connected together by pins I46 at their adjacent ends.

The angle bars I36 are connected together by a cross member I42 adjacenttheir lower extremities, the cross member being also in the form of anangle bar. Actually the toggle joint I38 is thus constituted of aplurality of parallel members disposed in a plane perpendicular to thedrawing of Fig. 3 and interconnected to act simultaneously as a singletoggle joint.

The pivot pins I40 are located a short distance from the lowerextremities of the angle bars I36, by which organization the crossmember I42 at the lower extremities of the bars I36 is engageable withthe upper portions of the toggle bars I32 to cooperate therewith andfunction as stops. It is thus seen that the pivotal connection betweenthe toggle bars I32 and I35 is in the form of a knee joint in that thetoggle bars may be swung to the left from the broken line position shownin Fig. 3 to the full lines positions shown (wherein they are alignedwith each other) but may not be swung further to the left beyond thesaid aligning positions.

By the present invention a novel latch is provided whereby the togglejoint may be automatically locked when the bars thereof are shifted intoalignment with each other, and may be easily and quickly released andthe toggle bars simultaneously shifted to cause a raising of the lowerend of the machine i2. This latch is particularly shown in Fig. 6 andcomprises a plurality of latch arms I44 pivotally carried by plates I46secured to the toggle bars I32 adjacent their opposite extremities. Thelatch arms I44 are connected together by a cross bar I48, and havingcamming surfaces I50 engageable with the cross member I42 of the uppertoggle bars I45 whereby the latch arms are cammed downwardly when thetoggle bars are shifted towards their aligned positions. The toggle barsI32 have stops I52 against which the latch arms I44 are normally held byhelical extension springs I54 when not locking the toggle members I32and I36.

To swing the machine I2 from the solid line position in Fig. 3 to thedotted line position with the lower end raised above the floor, there isprovided a power operating device consisting of a pneumatic cylinder I53and piston I58, the cylinder being pivotally attached as by pin I60 to asuitable cross bar I6I mounted on that portion of the carriage frameconsisting of angle bars I26, and the piston being pivotally connectedby means of pin I62 to a cross bar I53 on the upright machine frame 92between the pivot brackets 30 and I34. Conventional valve means (notshown) are provided for admitting the air under pressure to one side orthe other of piston I58 and for simultaneousl exhausting the oppositeside. When the latch I44 is released and air is admitted to theunderside of piston I58, the piston is drawn into the cylinder I56 andraises the machine I2 tov the dotted line position breaking the toggleformed by bars I32 and I36. Admission of air under pressure to the topof piston I58 automatically lowers the machine I2 to operating position,straightening the toggle I32, I36, and automatically operating the latchI44 to retain the parts in the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 3.Since the machine I2, as mounted at the pivot I28, has a slight tendencyto swing to the operative or solid line position in Fig. 3acounterbalance spring 164 is connected to the toggle bars I32 and I36across the toggle joint to help equalize the lowering and raising loadswhich occur during operation of the device.

The operation of the sand handling machine I2 of the invention is asfollows: the latch I44 is operated to release the toggle I32, I36, theair valve is operated to admit compressed air under the piston I58 andto move the machine I2 to dotted lines as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. Themachine I2 can then be easily moved along the rails I3 on wheels H8 ineither direction to position it opposite the desired hopper I I andadjacent a corresponding mold track I 5 upon which is found a number ofmolds ready for dismantling. When the machine I2 is in position the airvalve is again operated to introduce air above the piston I58 to lowerthe machine I2 into full line position as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 withthe riddle I4 adjacent the outer end of the track I5 and the emissionopening of conveyor I08 adjacent the fillingopening IIa of thecorresponding hopper While the machine I2 is still in dotted lineposition and during its transport from one station to another it will beseen that the bar 62 of the foot member 50 rests upon the upper edges ofthe lower parallel frame members 34 so that the foot member 50 iscarried thereby, but when the machine I2 reaches the desired station andis moved to operative position as shown in solid lines, the floorengaging elements of the foot member 50 is allowed to come into contactwith the floor, simultaneously raising the bar 62 out of contact withthe lower fram members 34 and transferring a large portion of the weightof the foot member 55) and riddle [4 to the foundry floor 64.

A workman standing before the riddle M turns to the mold track, picks upthe end mold with its completed casting and swings it into the riddlel4. Thereupon switches are closed to energize the motors 42 and I02. Themotor 42 rapidly vibrates the riddle l4 shaking loose the sand andallowing the metal casting to remain on the coarse screen 28 of theriddle I4. The sand in small chunks passes through the opening 2% and isguided by the plate i6 into the nip of the crusher formed between theplates l2 and trough H, where the sand is broken up into still smallerchunks.

As the sand proceeds from the breaker 12, it it is comminutedsufiiciently to permit air to reach the particles somewhat for cooling.More important, however, is the fact that the sand is thoroughlyintermixed by the breaker so that extremely hot grains or chunks whichwere near the casting are placed in intimate engagement with coolergrains from the outside of the mold. The motion of the plates 12 is suchthat the material issuing from the breaker is urged into the buckets 83of the upward conveyor as the same swing around the tail sprockets so.The slow upward movement of the conveyor buckets 88 provides opportunityfor the comminuted and aerated sand discharged by the breaker it, it tobecome reasonably cool, by providing time for the interchange of heatbetween the hot and cool granules, so that when the head sprocket Q4 ofthe upward conveyor is reached, the sand has all reached an averagetemperature and is cool enough to be in condition for furtherpulverizing or fluifing treatment to reduce it to its original powderedform suitable for mold making. This final treatment of the sand resultsfrom the operation of the hopper-loading conveyor wt for, as the upwardconveyor buckets 88 discharge onto the belt Ht of the conveyor Hit, thesand is engaged thereby and projected at high speed up wardly and to theleft as viewed in Figs. 1 and 3,

While the exact speed at which the conveyor )6 projects the sand is notsharply critical, the speed should be as high as convenient andconsistent with other design considerations. As an example ofappropriate speeds for the conveyors,

it may be stated that about twenty feet per minuteis suitable for theupward conveyor, while the conveyor Hi should travel at least ten timesas fast. It will be seen that the speed of the conveyor N35 isdetermined particularly by the necessity for treating the sand ratherthan by the necessity for accommodating the discharge of the upwardconveyor, and any conveyor speed which will throw the sand chunks with alow trajectory against thehopper wall with force enough to reduce themto their individual grains will serve the l9 purpose. For brevity andconvenience the speed of movement of the sand particles which has thiseffect is hereinafter referred to as projectile velocity.

It will be understood from Fig. 1 that overhead rails I3 areperpendicular to the mold tracks l5 so that the machine l0 may be movedfrom one mold track [5 to another and properly disposed beside the track15 where molds to be broken up are standing in readiness, and also intoalignment with the corresponding sand hopper ll.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that this inventionprovides a foundry layout organization which largely eliminates manuallabor in the handling of the molds and of the sand, and includes a sand.treating and conveying machine which provides for the reconditioning ofthe sand and the return thereof to usable position with little manualinterference from the operator. The improved machine of this inventionis likewise provided with a convenient overhead suspension and tiltingmeans which makes it extremely mobile and convenient, and at the sametime is-arrangedto provide fioor support and vibration resistance forthe vibrating riddle in order to offset the effects of the vibration onthe machine and supporting mechanism. In addition, the parts of themachine are arranged to provide for full treatment of a large quantityof sand by a device with minimum height dimension capable of use in lowfoundry buildings. Furthermore, the arrangement of the operating partsof the machine is such as to divide the weight between the ends of theelongate upward conveyor wherebysubstantial balance is achieved so thatswinging of the machine between operating and transport positions iseasily performed by hand if necessary, and if power equipment such aspneumatic cylinder 1 56 is employed, the same can be of extremelysmallsize and power capacity without impairing performance.

- Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of theclaims and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. In a foundry, overhead tracks, a conveyor supported on and dependingfrom said tracks and movable to different locations for lifting sandoverhead from pointsadjacent the floor; a sand receptacle connected withand located at the lower end of the conveyor'for feeding sand thereto;

a vibrating sand screen mounted at the lower end of the conveyor andcarried thereby from one location to another and operatively associatedwith said receptacle and disposed at the mouth thereof; and meansmounted at the lower end of the conveyor and carried thereby from onelocation to another and. connected with said receptacle and including arotary member having a plurality of projections, including meanscooperable with said projections, for crushing lumps of sand leaving thereceptacle prior to the sand being carried by the conveyor.

2. In a foundry, a conveyor movable to different stations for liftingsand overhead from points adjacent the fioor, said conveyor having atail pulley at its lower end; a sand receptacle mounted on and carriedby the lower end of the conveyor adjacent said tail pulley for feedingsand .to the conveyor; and means mounted at the lower end of theconveyor and carried thereby from one location to another and connectedbetween said receptacle and tail pulley for crushing lumps of sandleaving the receptacle, said means including a rotary member turning ona horizontal axis and having a plurality of projections, and includingmeans cooperable with said projections, said tail pulley and rotarymember turning in opposite directions and the projections at theunderside of the member sweeping toward the tail pulley to move sandthereto.

3. In a foundry the combination with a plurality of molders benchesdefining molding stations; overhead hoppers, one for each bench and eachwith its discharge above the corresponding bench; parallel mold tracks,one for each bench, and each with one of its ends adjacent thecorresponding bench and its other end remote therefrom; means includingan upwardly sloping conveyor for conditioning sand and for conductingthe same from a point adjacent one of said tracks and remote from thecorresponding bench, upwardly, and into the corresponding hopper; meanssuspending said conditioning and conducting means from an elevatedsupport with the conditioning and conducting means projecting downwardlyso that a por tion thereof is presented between adjacent mold tracksduring use, said suspension means also providing for lateral movement ofthe conditioning and conducting means from station to station; andmeans, forming a part of said suspension means, for effecting swingingof said conditioning and conducting means from operating position totransport position with the lower end thereof higher than the moldtracks to permit said lateral movement.

4. In a foundry the combination with a plurality of molders benchesdefining molding stations; overhead hoppers, one for each bench and eachwith its discharge above the corresponding bench; parallel mold tracks,one for each bench and each with one of its ends adjacent thecorresponding bench and its other end remote therefrom; means includingan upwardly sloping conveyor for conditioning sand and for conductingthe same from a point adjacent one of said tracks and remote from thecorresponding bench, upwardly, and into the corresponding hopper; meanssuspending said conditioning and conducting means from an elevatedsupport with the conditioning and conducting means projecting downwardlyso that a portion thereof is presented between adjacent mold tracksduring use, said suspension means also providing for lateral movement ofthe conditioning and conducting means from station to station; means,forming a part of said suspension means, for effecting swinging of saidconditioning and conducting means from operating position to transportposition with the lower end thereof higher than the mold tracks topermit said lateral movement, said conditioning and conducting meansincluding a vertically vibrating riddle mounted at the lower end of saidconveyor; and floor support means for said riddle operative to supportthe same when said conditioning and conducting means is swung tooperative position, and automatically swung away from the floor to clearthe mold tracks when said conditioning and conducting means is swung totransport position.

5. In a foundry the combination with a plurality of molders benchesdefining molding stations; overhead hoppers, one for each bench and eachwith its discharge above the corresponding bench; parallel mold tracks,one for each bench, and each with one of its ends adjacent thecorresponding bench and its other end remote therefrom; means includingan upwardly sloping conveyor for conditioning sand and for conductingthe same from a point adjacent one of said tracks and remote from thecorresponding bench, upwardly, and into the corresponding hopper; meanssuspending said conditioning and conducting means from an elevatedsupport with the conditioning and conducting means projecting downwardlyso that a portion thereof is presented between adjacent mold tracksduring use, said suspension means also providing for lateral movement ofthe conditioning and conducting means from station to station; andmeans, forming a part of said suspension means, for efiecting swingingof said conditioning and conducting means from operating position totransport position with the lower end thereof higher than the moldtracks to permit said lateral movement, said conditioning and conductingmeans including a high speed conveyor and an electric drive motor forboth of said conveyors mounted at one end of said upwardly slopingconveyor, and a shake-out riddle and lump-crushing means mounted at theother end thereof, said conditioning and conducting means beingswingably suspended at a point intermediate the ends of said upwardlysloping conveyor.

6. A sand handling and conditioning machine comprising an elongate slowspeed conveyor; mold shake-out means and rotary lump-crushing meansmounted on one end of said conveyor and arranged to discharge sand intothe same; a high speed conveyor mounted at the other end of said slowspeed conveyor for receiving sand discharged therefrom and projectingthe sand outwardly at high velocity; a movable overhead carriage; andmeans pivotally engaging said elongate conveyor at a point thereonintermediate its ends for swingably supportin the same beneath saidcarriage.

7. A sand handling and conditioning machine comprising an elongate slowspeed conceyor; lump-crushing means mounted on one end of said conveyorand arranged to discharge sand into the same; a high speed conveyormounted at the other end of said slow speed conveyor for receiving sanddischarged therefrom and projecting the sand outwardly at high velocity;a movable overhead carriage; means pivotally engaging said elongateconveyor at a point thereon intermediate its ends for swingablysupporting the same beneath said carriage for movement between operatingposition and transport position; a vertically vibrating riddle mountedon said one end of said elongate conveyor and arranged to discharge intosaid lump-crushing means; a floor supporting foot for said riddlepivotally connected at one end to said one end of said elongate conveyorand engageable with the floor at said other end, and resilient shockabsorbing means connected at one end to said riddle and at the other endto said foot intermediate its ends.

8. In a sand handling and conditioning machine, an overhead carriage; adepending support member connected to said carriage and movable betweenpositions remote from and closely adjacent the floor; a verticallyvibrating riddle and means for vibrating the same carried by saiddepending support member; a floor supporting foot for supporting aportion of the weight of said riddle and for transmitting the vibratoryshock thereof to said floor when said support member is adjacent thefloor, said foot being pivotally connected at one end to said supportmember and having floor engaging means on its other end; and resilientshock absorbing means connected at one end to said riddle and at theother end to said foot intermediate its ends. 4

9. In a sand handling and conditioning machine, an overhead carriage; adepending support member connected to said carriage and movable betweenpositions remote from and closely adjacent the floor; a verticallyvibrating riddle and means for vibrating the same carried by saiddepending support member; a floor supporting foot for supporting aportion of the weight of said riddle and for transmitting the vibratoryshock thereof to said floor when said support member is adjacent thefloor, said foot being pivotally connected at one end to said supportmember and having floor engaging means on its other end; resilient shockabsorbing means connected at one end to said riddle and at the other endto said foot intermediate its ends; and interengaging means on saidframe and said foot 14 for raising said foot bodily with said frameafter a slight initial relative travel.

PETER S. HARDY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 752,646 Boughton Feb. 23, 1904 1,323,641 Ervin Dec. 2, 19191,478,812 Barene Dec. 25, 1923 1,748,124 Goldberg Feb. 25, 19301,841,729 Hauge Jan. 19, 1932 1,860,481 Royer May 31, 1932 2,020,131Behnke Nov. 5, 1935 2,488,381 Davies Nov. 15, 1949

